To summarise, if you are to be interviewed for a job you should understand:

• the services or products the organisation deals with
• the organisation’s aims and values – what does it say in its ‘mission statement’?
• how you will fit in with its values. Can you identify its culture?
• who its clients / customers are
• who its competitors are and how the organisation compares to them
• if the organisation has been in the news recently and why?

Researching an institution

If you have applied for a course, you may be invited for an interview, although this varies between departments and at different universities or colleges. If you have applied to do postgraduate research you will almost always be invited to interview.

Before you attend, you should understand:

• the institution and department that you wish to join and its strengths
• the aims and values of the institution – what does it say in its ‘mission statement’?
• how you will fit in with its values. Can you identify its culture?
• the key areas of research currently being undertaken or the structure of the course
• the types of careers that students progress on to after completion
• if the institution has been in the news recently and why?

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